OCR Text |
Show Can there be "defamation of character" where character does not exist? Does a man of character pur-lion pur-lion from his neighbor? Doss a man of character, after having served a term In Jail, enhance the character that may bo left by unlawfully removing remov-ing or having removed from the public records the data of his crlmo and the details incident to his retention? If to turn and mention such casual facts about one who in ignorance, malice or political vlclousncss makes the editor of this- paper a target for tho vilest shot, tho most poisoned arrow, that can be hurled in Utali at tho present time, then Is the editor of Tin: liBi'iniMCAN guilty of "defama tion of character." The editor of tills paper has never yet found pleasure In making an unkind statement to or about any man. Tho fact that a statement Is truth makes it but little easier to say, If to publish It brings chagrin or humiliation to him at whom it is aimed, be ho a man jit honor or dishonor. But in the editorship editor-ship of a newspaper, where there Is ever a clash with tho opinions of men, the training is not such that the average aver-age wellder of tho pen fhids It easy to turn the other check when some $10 a week hireling in mistaken smartness or deliberate Intent to cast aspersion pens that which In truth could mean no less than that the object of his sweetened vitriolic effort had been guilty of selling his soul. Tub Rk-ruiiMCAN Rk-ruiiMCAN In Its retort courteous mentioned men-tioned no name and merely mentioned an Incident in the career of the unnamed. un-named. The retort was as kindly as It could be put, and the object of It is unfortunate In having such a fool friend as tho editor who takes that retort re-tort as a subject for a sermon about 'defamation of character." |